Valentine Chocolates
by Master Huytin
Summary: When a client asks Betty to make his long-time crush chocolates, Isaac suddenly has a crisis on his hands. With the scary prospect of having to choose a gift for Sophie, and Cat looming over his shoulder frightfully asking him to answer her maniacal questions on Shawn, Valentine's Day might not be so romantic after all. An AI Football GGO Story.


**A/N- Happy Valentine's Day! **

Isaac felt sweat running through his horrific bedhair and down onto his forehead. He hoped wholeheartedly he had heard him wrong. A boy did not just ask Aunt Betty to make chocolates for Valentine's Day for his crush. Valentine's Day- a day of celebration. Valentine's Day- a day of happiness. Valentine's Day- a day of love.

Valentine's Day- not a day of Aunt Betty's cooking. Not at all.

"-Wow! Who's the lucky lady?" squealed Aunt Betty from behind the counter. Isaac grimaced as he saw the young man- who seemed to be the same age as Isaac- flush red in embarrassment.

"I-I've known her for three years now… I-I have always admired her, but have never been able to tell h-her my real feelings." he covered his face, which had gone tomato red again.

Isaac's heart sank as Aunt Betty erupted into exclamations of 'How Cuteeee!' and 'Don't you worry, Ms Betty's got you!'. Such a nice guy did not deserve to have their long-time crush taken away from him by Aunt Betty's cooking. If that girl ate the chocolates made by Betty, she would probably never even be able to stand up and muster the energy to slap him in the face. It would be a disaster. A cataclysmic catastrophe.

And he needed to fix that disaster. Fast. He didn't know what to do; Cat was bombarding him asking what boxers Shawn wore. As if he would know! But if he didn't reply, he didn't fancy his chances of surviving the day either. Yet here was this guy- who they had found out was called Luca, about to have his love-life ruined. He was torn between what to do. Could he even stop Betty from making the chocolates anyway? He did love his aunt for looking after him, but this was not looking pretty. Not to mention that he was... _gulp…._ supposed to send _wishes _to Sophie too! And to think he had been planning to spend the day thinking of a good gift to give her!

-But he knew what he had to do. This situation could not be ignored. It had to be fixed.

He did some quick thinking. "Auntie, I think you should go and fetch all the ingredient pots from the kitchen so Luca can have the best possible choice for such an important day! The chocolates will of course be customised, won't they?"

Aunt Betty paused, and then nodded. "Of course! I'll go get them now- give me a minute or so!"

Luca, who did not know what was going on, bowed his head deeply. "T-thanks so much!"

As soon as she was gone, Isaac turned to him. "Um… hey, you know that lots of people make their own chocolates on Valentine's Day? Maybe you should consider that- the girl's like it a lot!"

But he didn't expect to be met back with a brusque retort from Luca.

"Yeah, you would know, wouldn't you?!" the latter snapped. Isaac recoiled slightly, but the glare softened immediately until the sheepish attitude was all that remained again. Just then, Isaac noticed that he was hiding his hands. Without warning, he grabbed Luca's wrists, hoisting them up to his view.

They were hastily bandaged up, and through the cloth Isaac could see burns and blisters. Luca shoved his wrist away quickly, and spoke, his voice quavering.

"You think I-I haven't tried?" He looked at Isaac desperately, before continuing.

"Her family is moving away today. Their train is at 2pm; she'll be gone before noon. I need to at least tell her, and I have no time left! Please, I don't care about the taste- I just need to get something to her and tell her what I've been feeling all these years."

Isaac nodded. This only made it worse. He didn't understand how bad Betty's cooking was. But there was now nothing to do. They had to go forward, since Luca had only an hour left. He watched as Betty came trundling back. When she reached them, she immediately offered them some pastries. Isaac was reluctant, but Luca took them unknowingly.

"You two, have these to celebrate! They were left over this morning, so they are still fresh!"

Before Isaac could stop him, Luca put it in his mouth, exclaiming 'Thanks'. Isaac watched as his expression changed quickly to a… _queasy… _complexion. Isaac rubbed his forehead inn annoyance, waiting for him to suddenly be hit with a wave of diarrhoea-inducing nausea and rush for the toilet.

But it seemed that it never happened. He slowly lifted his head in disbelief. Luca was still standing there, looking greener than he had before, but looking right at Isaac with the same large, pleading eyes. Isaac got the message.

_Please, I have nothing else left._

He shook his head in annoyance. "Okay… ummm, Auntie, how about Luca cooks with you in the kitchen? We can show pictures of him cooking to the recipient of the chocolate."

Betty nodded happily, oblivious to what was happening at that point between the two boys.

"Of course! Do you want to, Luca?"

"S-sure! Thanks!" Luca gave Isaac a look of deep gratitude. Isaac nodded his head back at him.

"Oh, Auntie, can I come with you guys? It's a day of celebration, and I want to come too." he explained, having decided that he would accompany them just in case things went awry. Yet again Betty nodded excitedly.

"Of course!"

And so the trio went towards the kitchen of Birdy Bread. Isaac tried to dispel the PTSD of walking down those steps. He would really need to focus now; he tried not to shiver as he heard the distinguishable rattle of the doorknob twisting.

"Okay, Luca, what flavour do you want? White Chocolate and Peaches is my suggestion."

Luca didn't really know. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah...sure, that sounds great."

And so they got to cooking the chocolate. What she lacked in taste, Betty did somewhat make up for in her presentation- Isaac would give her that.

"-Okay, so now, make sure to wipe the water off, because any water with chocolate will absolutely wreck it. Obviously, put on the gloves so you don't burn your hand in the boiling water-"

Isaac and Luca both slapped their foreheads. Both of them always forgot to put on gloves at this point, either, in Luca's case, because they were too nervous, or in Isaac's case, because they were too careless. Isaac would never know how Luca had burnt his hands that badly- but at least he was trying.

Suddenly he heard a cry of satisfaction from the person next to him. He turned to look, and saw a perfectly smooth mixture. He looked at his own; it was lumpy as a sack of potatoes. He laughed slightly and gave a thumbs up to Luca, who smiled in return, before going back to whisk his mixture perhaps a tad too over-enthusiastically.

But you could never be too enthusiastic making chocolates on Valentine's Day.

"Let's take some pictures!" Isaac exclaimed, actually pretty happy with how it was going. He and Luca only did a small amount since they had thought they would botch it up, but this was fine for them. The problem was of course that most of the chocolates would be from Betty, but in all honesty both boys had given up hope by then of finding another solution.

And so snap went the camera, showing Aunt Betty using her rolling pin to slap cocoa butter as if it were Isaac late for curfew from Team Barefoot practice; Luca whisking the mixture so hard that the bowl looked like it might crack any second under the intensity of his focused glare; Isaac being an absolute disaster in the kitchen as usual- but not suffering from depression as he normally would be.

Finally, they were done. As the batch came out, it looked absolutely mouth-watering. If only it would taste that good.

Without a second to waste, Luca thanked Betty profusely and headed for the door. Isaac stopped him.

"Hey, let me accompany you to carry the chocolates. If you run that fast with the map in your hands you might damage them."

Luca paused for a moment. "Okay, sure."

And so they set off, Isaac barely keeping up with the sprinting boy. He was fast. After what seemed like an age, Luca came to an abrupt halt, and the slightly out-of-breath Isaac nearly crashed into him.

Luca was looking at one door. That much was obvious. The pretty, claret block of wood which was no more than a few metres ahead. Isaac saw that he was suddenly shaking.

"Go for it." he pushed. "You've come this far."

Luca's face flushed red again. "B-But…"

Isaac sighed. He walked up to the door far looking far more macho than he felt, and pressed the doorbell three times. Luca jumped, straightening his clothes and hair nervously.

"Ugggh, who is it this time… Oh! It's Luca!"

Isaac looked at the girl who was now facing his customer. She didn't seem to even realise Isaac was there, only looking at the one who was nervously holding the package now. She seemed to be pretty confident, and Isaac was sure that she was one of those girls who had all the boys in the year fawning over her.

"U-um H-happy V-valentine's D-day..."

Isaac almost facepalmed at how nervous the boy was, but then he thought of his own task of calling Sophie later, and realised he would be much worse off. But to his surprise, the girl in front of him seemed to have lost her confidence very quickly.

"O-oh, this isn't something you normally do. Don't tell me you, the notoriously clumsy Luca, actually made chocolate by yourself? Or did you buy it for me?" she asked, playfully but softly.

The latter laughed nervously. "No, I could not make them myself. I went to a bakery and they helped me make some." He showed her the pictures they had taken and printed out. The girl let out a hearty burst of laughter.

"Wow, you're really killing that mixture aren't you?" Both of them laughed this time. Then, without warning, the girl took the chocolates, taking out a random one.

Isaac and Luca had been planning to direct her to the chocolates Luca had made by taking out 'random' ones and offering them to her to taste. This could not be happening. Everything would be ruined. They watched helplessly as she raised it towards her mouth.

_Closer._

_Closer._

_Her mouth opened._

_The chocolate was tilted until it was on the cusp of her tongue…_

_This could not be happening._

_It would be homicide._

_Not on Valentine's Day- such a lovely girl too-_

_He could hear Luca gasp._

_NOOOOOO-_

"-Nah sorry I'm allergic to chocolate."

…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Isaac and Luca both fell down anime style.

"B-but I-I thought all the other g-guys gave you chocolates every year."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Oh those stuck up brats? Yeah, they think that just because they dish out money on some 'Gold Leaf-plated Champagne Infused Ruby Cocoa Pearls' they can get me to like them. Fat chance!"

"Th-then what can I give you-" Luca was stopped mid-sentence with a finger to his lips. Isaac turned his head away slightly as the girl leaned in to give them some privacy. Then, he heard them pull apart.

"You came. That's what matters. All these three years I could hardly tell you knew who I was."

"But I did! All those three years I never mustered the courage to say anything!"

"Hush now. You should have just said, you dummy."

"I assumed-"

"-You assumed wrong." Isaac had to turn his head again for a few moments- time lingering on a bit more this kiss.

"Now, I must get going. We're moving out now."

"Will I see you again?"

"Of course! I'll return back to school next year, and I have your phone number."

"-You do?"

"Yep. Don't believe me? I'll send you a message right now then."

Isaac looked curiously after he heard a ping. He squinted his eyes to see what message she had sent him.

_Seriously, who is that street urchin with the sh*tty hair and vomit-orange jumper over there?_

…

Isaac narrowed his eyes. His hair might be terrible but he did not appreciate it. Luca, however, chuckled.

"This is the guy from the bakery who helped me with the chocolates. He came to bring them to you. His name is-" he paused, realising he had not gotten the name of 'that urchin'.

Isaac, still sulking slightly, answered for him. "Isaac. Isaac Gao."

"Oh okay, nice to meet you, Isaac. Wait-"

"Isaac Gao. As in, Isaac Gao of Team Barefoot?!"

"Yes. That is I."

…

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH?!"

**/**

Isaac sat on his bed, waiting for Sophie to call. It had been a good day. He had prepared a great gift for her. His fingers fumbled nervously on the edges of his duvet. FInally, it came.

"H-Hi Sophie!"

"H-hey. How are you?"

"-Good, thanks. I've had a very strange day today to be honest."

"Oh really? How so?"

And so Isaac told her. He told her of his fright when Luca had turned up. He told her how he found out that Luca had burnt his hands trying to make chocolate himself. He told her how they went down to the kitchen to cook under the guidance of Betty. How lumpy his mixture was. How he would send her some pics of himself making chocolate. How they ran until Isaac could barely breathe to catch the girl.

How it had unfolded at the house of Luca's crush, how she had scared them nearly to death. How they managed to make everything better, and how he had been called a 'street urchin with the sh*tty hair and vomit-orange jumper'. How they promised to write to each other. And how, when she had force-fed Luca the same chocolate she had pretended to be about to eat, they realised how great Aunt Betty was.

It was absolutely incredible cooking. Luca had shared some with Isaac. Creamy, not too sweet, melting in the mouth- if only Aunt Betty always cooked like that. It seemed that the latter did know when it mattered, and Isaac was grateful for the fact that she actually had their backs in the scenario that the girl ate the chocolates. He would have to thank her soon.

-And before long, time had passed in the call. It was 10pm.

"Okay, that was great! You have to go soon, don't you, Isaac?"

"Yeah, maybe. I have a gift for you." Isaac watched Sophie pause midair and smile.

"Really? What is it?"

"Basically, I am teaching a boy GGO Football right now, and his mother works at the airport. I didn't ask for anything, but she gifted me randomly today with some two-way tickets from France to China for the end of February!" He did not know that he was on the receiving end of some vicious shippers' fantasies about him and a certain female from Team Rhythm.

"Oh wow, I was going to offer you the same thing, but from France to China!"

"NO WAY! Since your sister is about to wake up, why don't I come to France in two weeks to meet you guys, stay there for some time, and then take you back to China to meet and play with Team Barefoot? I am sure Shawn especially would very much like to meet your famous sister."

Sophie grinned from ear to ear.

'

"Sure! I'll see you soon then!"

"See you soon!"

"..."

"..."

"Happy Valentine's Day Sophie. I-I… love you." Sophie blushed.

"I love you too, Isaac. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Sophie."

**/**

"Thank you so much, Auntie!"

"No problem Isaac! Now come and give your Auntie a hug as she celebrates another Valentine's Day single."

Both of them laughed as Isaac hugged Aunt Betty before taking his leave. The chocolates were all finished- delicious, they had been.

As Isaac was going back up the stairs again, having gone to thank Aunt Betty for making the chocolates so well, he smiled joyfully. They had shared a very nice moment, and Isaac remembered how nice his Aunt really was.

Suddenly, he received a message on his phone. It seemed to beep louder than normal.

{

_From: Cat_

_To: Isaac_

_Subject: Re: Shawn's Boxers_

_IIIIIIIISAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCC! ARE YOU IGNORING ME?!"_

}

Isaac nearly fell back down the steps again and onto Aunt Betty's prize cactus. He had totally forgotten about Cat! What would he do? He didn't have an answer to the question. He sweated profusely, opening up his messaging app.

He was, however, disrupted by another ding on his 'Team Barefoot Boys' group, which was for, yep, you guessed it, all the controllers in Team Barefoot except Cat, the only girl.

{

_From: Shawn_

_To: All_

_Subject: KAAAAAARRL?!_

_KAARL?! WAS IT YOU WHO PUT THE BUGS IN MY BOXERS?!"_

}

And then,

{

_From: Karl_

_To: All_

_Subject: Re: KAAAAAARRL?!_

_Uhhh, maybe… why?"_

_}_

_{_

_From: Shawn _

_To: All_

_Subject: Re:Re: KAAAAAARRL?!_

_They were premium Indian silk and now have holes everywhere! How dare you ruin Di'Aragnelo Boxers? They are my favourite!_

}

Isaac grinned wide. It seemed Cat had her answer.

**A/N- Sorry this was a bit late, but I hope you enjoyed! I did enjoy this- dunno how I came up with the plot, but nevermind I guess.**


End file.
